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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. capital — a city
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. capital — money
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. current — happening now
  19. cold — not warm
  20. deal — to handle
  21. plane — a tool
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com